Boys' name · since 1880
Nathanial
10,578 babies named Nathanial in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1999. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,171 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,455 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,578
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
10,578 babies have been named Nathanial since 1880, making it today's #3455 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Nathanial recorded 10,578 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3455 nationally today, ahead of 75% of boys, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,171 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,455 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 10,578 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nathanial ranks #1,171 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,455 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,578 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,171 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,455 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,578
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Nathanial's 10,578 recorded births place it above 97.42% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Nathanial compares
10,578 Top 9% higher than 91% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Nathanial's all-time total is 29x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nathanial | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,578 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 371 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nathanial's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nathanial splits its recorded history at 1966: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1999 peak of 371 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nathanial popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 371
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Nathanial by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (2,997 births, 28% of the file).
1990s was Nathanial's strongest decade.
2,997 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Nathanial births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 22
1900s
22 births
- 1910s 134
1910s
134 births
- 1920s 162
1920s
162 births
- 1930s 156
1930s
156 births
- 1940s 113
1940s
113 births
- 1950s 119
1950s
119 births
- 1960s 184
1960s
184 births
- 1970s 927
1970s
927 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,978 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,997 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,821 births
- 2010s 778
2010s
778 births
- 2020s 177
2020s
177 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,997 births (28% of all-time use).
How Nathanial compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Nathanial's total volume
Nathanial by state
Where Nathanial concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 842 | 8.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 579 | 5.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 523 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 420 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 404 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 387 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 338 | 3.2% |
| #8 | New York | | 311 | 2.9% |
842 of 10,578 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Nathanial appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nathanial? ▼
Where does Nathanial sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nathanial most popular? ▼
Where is Nathanial most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nathanial been used? ▼
What names are similar to Nathanial? ▼
What to do with Nathanial's data
- Nathanial's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,997 total births); usage has since declined to 177 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nathanials (842 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nathanial
Nearby Names Like Nathanial
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nathanial
Compare Nathanial side by side: Nathanial vs Nathan Nathanial vs Nathaniel Nathanial vs Nathanael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nathanial
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nathanial: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nathanial draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.